A Redder Shade of Pale
by Wind-Goddess17
Summary: Edward has been feeling under the weather lately, Bella warned him to take it easy. When he comes down with a terrible cold, Bella must learn to play nurse to a cranky vampire. Any fic from now on is from my memory or brand new..my old ones are gone. R
1. Chapter 1

**Hello again, WG-17 here, I have been on a writing kick today so here goes a brand new fic. (I would be doing one of my old ones, but my mother went crazy and burned them along with my books…sigh…) My friend lent me Twilight and New Moon so, "Blammo!" Brand new ficcie outta my head.**

Edward catches a cold, from over-working himself. Bella deals with a cranky vampire/boyfriend.

A Redder Shade of Pale 

Bella smiled to herself as she felt a familiar cold arm snake around her waist. She turned over to look into the eyes of her lover, only to find those glorious eyes shut and surrounded by darker circles than she was accustomed to. He wasn't breathing.

"Edward? Are you all right?" she asked worriedly, caressing his cheek. Edward seeming to realize that he was not quite acting like himself, opened his eyes and smiled his crooked smile to allay Bella's fears.

"Fine…I'm just a little tired lately." He bean to breathe again at a steady pace.

"Take it easy though, okay?" asked Bella sleepily.

"Okay."

Bella smiled, content, and finally fell fast asleep.

The following morning, Bella woke to find Edward asleep. She gently leaned over and brushed his hair out of his face. She paused. Something was wrong. Vampires didn't sleep! And something else, Edward's face wasn't cold. It wasn't hot, but it definitely wasn't cold. She pressed her hand lightly against his forehead. Sure enough, something was not right.

"Edward. Edward!" She said, shaking him a little. His eyes blinked open.

"Huh? Where am I? What happened?" he asked, groaning softly as he sat up.

"I don't know," Bella replied, "But you're not cold, you're warm!"

"But you always thought I was hot…didn't you Bella?" He retorted, mirth glimmering in his deep eyes.

"Edward…" She said, impatient with his antics.

"I'm fine!" He said, "Really…It's probably your own body warmth you're feeling." Bella frowned, she could sense there was more to the unusual warmth than that, but she ddn't have the willpower to argue with her own private "Greek god".

Edward, recognizing victory, gave Bella a loving smile, and said,

"Morning already? Looks like I'll be sticking around for a while." Bella smiled, happy to have him to herself for the day.

"I'm going to get dressed, and might I suggest that when Charlie wakes up, you make it look like you just walked in the door?" She giggled.

"I'll do that…" Edward replied with a smirk.

End of Chapter One

(I've decided to make it a chapter fic, but please review to keep my creative juices flowing…I've got a whole binder full of stories to replace. Wind-Goddess17)


	2. Chapter 2

Hey-hey! It's me again, WG-17, coming at you with the second chapter of "A Redder Shade of Pale". Please, please, please start reviewing! I've only gotten three so far; it's ludicrous! Not to mention depressing! So plz, be kind, rewind, and hit the review button. Edward is hiding something in this chapter, but Bella is determined… She may be a bit OoC, unfortunately, I didn't have the book for a reference while writing. My apologies.

A Redder Shade of Pale

Chapter 2:

By the time Bella was dressed and had gone downstairs, Charlie was waking up and looking forward to his morning cup of coffee. He shuffled down the stairs in his bathrobe and slippers. He got the coffee started and had opened the fridge to delve for some half-and-half, when he heard,

"Good Morning, Sir."

"Good Morning, Dad!"

He blinked owlishly, his eyes coming to rest on the pair of teenagers sitting on the couch.

"Morning…" He yawned, more of a sigh than a greeting, "Isn't it a little early for a date?"

"Bella wanted us to spend the day together; we thought it would be fun." Edward replied, smiling at Bella in his special way.

"Oh…" Said Charlie, still only half-awake and only half-caring.

Bella snagged the remote; turning the television on. As she curled back into Edward's shoulder, she felt him tense and immediately turned her attention back to him. Looking into his eyes didn't give any hints either. He looked as confused as she did… Bella watched as he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply.

"AH-CHOOO!" Edward let out a violent sneeze, as he turned away from her, just in time.

"Bless you…" Charlie said disinterestedly. Bella, felt panic rising within her like a geyser, and whispered to Edward,

"I know that had nothing to do with my body warmth!" Edward, trying to breathe through his nose, sniffled, but gave no verbal response. "I thought I told you to take it easy!" She hissed. Charlie, having downed nearly an entire cup of coffee, heard Bella's reprimand and saw the look of concern on his daughter's face.

"You feeling all right Edward?" He asked, slightly concerned himself now. Edward tensed and sneezed two more sneezes, while trying to explain that he was perfectly fine.

"You sound like you're coming down with something…" Bella said, turning pale. Vampires weren't supposed to get sick!

"A pretty bad cold by the sound of it." Commented Charlie helpfully.

"Maybe you are right," ceded Edward, coughing a little, "Bella I think I am going to head home. Is it okay if we put "Our Day" off until tomorrow?" He made a move for the door, reaching for his keys in his pocket.

"EDWARD CULLEN!" Bella scolded, "There is no way I am going to let you drive home by yourself. I'm calling Carlisle!" She put herself between Edward and the door.

"Bella…" Edward's voice rose in volume.

"No, I'm calling him and that's final!" Pulling out her cell phone and not budging an inch, Bella quickly dialed the Cullen household.

The other line rang twice, before a voice said,

"Hello? Cullens' residence…"

End of Chapter 2

(Well, Blackmail and begging aren't working anymore, so I'll resort to bribery…I'll give a virtual cookie (any flavor) to anyone who can guess who picked up the phone, or to anyone who reviews period. So get crackin'!!!)


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer:

Hi everyone, I am spending three hours at the library to try to get this chapter up. And FYI, This story takes place before Bella gets her car. So enjoy, I don't own Twilight or its characters…R&R Much Love, WG-17.

A Redder Shade of Pale:

Chapter Three:

"Hello? Cullen's residence…This is Jasper speaking."

"Jasper! This is Bella! Edward! Something's wrong with him! He's sneezing and he feels warm! I need to talk to Carlisle right now!" She panicked, her volume and pitch rising.

"Whoa Bella," came the reply, "Slow down. Carlisle's not here. He left for a three-day medical conference in LA only yesterday."

"What?!? Jasper, isn't there any way to reach him? I'm really worried about him." Her gaze drifted back towards the ailing vampire on the couch, who currently seemed to be trying to remember how to use a tissue.

Bella could almost see Jasper shrug his shoulders, "Sorry, but his cell phone has been off all day long, even Esme couldn't reach him."

"Couldn't Emmett or Rosalie come to pick him up?" asked Bella, "I'm sure he would feel more comfortable at home, with Esme to take care of him."

"Emmett and Rosalie took their car to go hunting. So it looks like Edward's stuck there, unless Charlie could drive him?"

Bella spun around to ask her dad, but he had vanished. Putting her hand over the receiver, she turned to Edward, "When did Charlie leave?"

He sniffled before responding, "About two minutes ago, he went to get dressed when you called home." Edward let out another harsh cough, sounding miserable, "Is that Esme or Jasper?"

"It's Jasper…"

"Let me talk to him for a second…" he said, wobbling as he stood up.

"**Sit, **I'll bring it to you." She ordered. He did, and she handed the phone over.

"Jasper…It's me. No, wait…**don't…oh, come on…"** he practically snarled, then suddenly he changed his tone to non-chalant mixed with boredom, "Hi Esme. No…Yes, I'm staying here. No, I'll be fine. Yes, I'm sure…H-hold on…**Huh-CHOOO!**" Edward held the phone away and twisted around, releasing a particularly nasty sneeze. Sighing he held the phone back to his ear to begin doing damage-control with his concerned foster-mom, "Yes…That was me. No, I'll be fine, I'm probably just over tired. Yes, I will. Okay. Alright. Yes. Goodbye."

Edward handed the phone back to Bella, and sat back down on the couch, exhausted, both mentally and physically. Bella sat down beside him and helped him to lean over to rest his head on her shoulder. She felt him shivering through his clothes.

"Edward, I am going to go and get some pillows and blankets for you, then you can get some rest and I'll make you some soup later." She said, gently. She eased him off of her and started to turn to leave, when she felt a clammy hand grasp weakly at her wrist.

"Stay…"Came the soft whisper. A request? A plea…

She returned to plant a small kiss on his forehead, and then turned and ran up the stairs two at a time.

She walked slowly down the stairs, only a minute later, carting quilts and two down pillows. She helped Edward sit up slowly, placing the two pillows behind his neck and back. As she guided him to lay back down, he blushed, for the first time in centuries, and smiled at her.

(Sorry I know it's short, but hopefully there will be two more chapters after this, so please keep reviewing, and if you have ideas, please tell me. Thank you so much.)


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: ****WE do not own Twilight.**

**WG17: Why did I say we? Because I could not accomplish this final chapter without a good boot in the $$ from my friend, Jess, who co-authored this chapter with me through "****im****", ****lol**

**Jess: Hey! **

**WG17: This was my fifth time trying to write this chapter, Jess cornered me online and to put it mildly, "encouraged" me to continue.**

**Jess: (bares an evil grin) Yes, I am ****very**** convincing when I want to be. And trust me you need to be with this one (jabs thumb in WG17's direction)**

**WG17: (clears throat nervously) Well then, Master…I mean, Jess… Why don't you do the honors?**

**Jess: Don't mind if I do, introducing…**

**A Redder Shade of Pale **

**Chapter Four:**

Bella covered her vampire up, a worried look crossing her face as she watched him give a couple of coughs, "Edward, are you ok?" Bella asked, as she gently ran a hand through his hair, not knowing what she should do to help her sick boyfriend.

Edward shivered, a sensation quite new to him, and roll on ot his side to try to conserve some warmth. He closed his eyes, for mere moments it seemed, but when he opened them again, the sun was setting in the west.

Groaning he tried to sit up but... Bella gently pushed him down "stay" she said in a soft tone,

"How are you feeling?" Bella said again, in a soft tone, as she brushed the hair out of his face.

Edward tried to say something that would allay her fears, but much to his chagrin, he was forced to quickly reach for the tissue box, before he released a powerful sneeze. Blushing slightly, he tried again, "I suppose you wouldn't believe me if I said "never better"...?"

Bella smirked "No, I wouldn't…" Bella said in a firm voice. She pressed her hand to his forhead, "You're still hot…" Bella said with an aggaravated sigh.

"I know, but it's getting late, " He replied, "What will Charlie think if I'm still here... like this...?" The vampire gestured to the blankets and the tissues.

"Already called him,… He said you could stay here, but you would have to sleep down here. Nice try, Edward, I'm one step ahead of you." Bella said as she lightly rubbed his shoulders.

"I hate this...being like this...it's...IT"S UNCOMFORTABLE!" He said indignantly, "I'm usually the one who protects you, helps you, but this is just ...inexscuseable..." He mummured the last word, as though it were painful

"Edward look at me," Bella tilted his head up, so that he was looking at her, "I want to take care of you… all this time you've taken care of me. Now, it's my turn…" Bella whispered, as she caressed his cheek.

I know...", his breath caught as he felt the warmth of her hand, "But I just..." He immediately felt that the time for arguments was past and he brought his hand forward to stroke her hair, and leaned up just a little farther for a kiss.

Bella smiled at the eager vampire, "How about a massage?" Bella offered, giggling a bit at the confused look on Edward's face as he tilted his head a bit to the side.

"If you wouldn't mind giving a shoulder-rub to a boulder then why not?' He smiled back.

Bella gently laid her hands on his shoulder and begain to massage them. Edward instantly relaxed into his lover's touch. Worry, fear, stress, all gliding away with every stroke.

"Feels good?" Bella asked, kissing the base of Edward's neck. She smiled stroking his face.

"How are you feeling, now?" she asked a slight worried note at the edge of her question.

Sick of being sick..." was the blunt response. Suddenly, Edward became aware of a smell that made the hair on his neck stand on end... in an instant he was off the couch, next to the front door. The door swung towrds edward blocking him from view.

As someone hollered, "Hey Bells , Whew... what a stink! Was the leech just here?"

The door slammed behind Jacob Black as he entered, revealing a livid and stiff-looking vampire.

"WHOA!!" Said Jake, moving to put himself between what looked to be a rabid version of Edward and Bella.

"Jacob, this really isn't a good time… Edward's sick and as you can see, a bit crabby." Bella gently squeezed his shoulder, trying to calm him down.

"Yeah, no shit!! Jeez! Edward, you scared the ever-living out of me... I..." Edward stood there still fuming,

"GET. OUT. MUTT." Jake being Jake, sat down in one of the chairs and promptly responded with a smirk,

"MAKE. ME."

Bella grabbed Edward before he could jump on the werewolf "Jake, please?" Bella yelled over her shoulder.

Edward snarled, and paced menacingly trying to instinctively defend his territory and his mate from the innate evil that was the cocky, smart-aleck werewolf.

Jake nodded, still smirking from ear to ear, and backed slowly out the door.

Bella gently pulled her boyfriend into her arms and sat down on the floor, "Settle down," she murmured, rocking him a bit. Edward stiffened but eventually gave in to his girlfriend's embrace like a baby to a pacifier, especially once, she gently began to scratch his back. He slumped, feeling embarrassed and slightly ashamed of his behavior.

"Will you calm down?" Bella said softly, stroking his hair.

"I am… I am. I'm sorry, Bella…" She led him back to the couch. She sighed, as she pulled him closer to lean against her

"It's okay, why don't you rest, I will hold you, till you fall asleep."

Edward turned his baby face on her..."Can I have a kiss first...?" As he leaned against her, Bella gently kissed him on the lips, "Now go to sleep," she whispered, rocking him softly and starting to sing a lullaby. Edward fell softly and gently into pleasant dreams lulled by the sound of Bella's voice...until all he could hear and feel was her soft breathing. Bella woke up the next morning, and seeing that Edward was awake immediately asked, "How are you feeling?"

Edward stretched, "Actually, I'm feeling much better, thank you for everything you did Bella," He leaned in for a good morning kiss…when suddenly...

"Ahh-choo!" Bella jerked away, as she let out a large sneeze

Edward started chuckling, "Oh dear, I hope you make I better patient than I did!"

THE END


End file.
